The Solar Wind

by Laura E. Collins

  “You think someone drugged her?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “What about the authorities, wouldn’t they do an investigation if they suspected something like that?”

  “Not unless she was someone of great importance, or if she was very wealthy. The authorities on Orionis are extremely strict, but not when it concerns Level 11.”

  “That’s outrageous. You mean to tell me that the law enforcement here would turn a blind eye to an unsolved death of a young woman just because it happened on the lower levels and she didn’t have a lot of money or connections?”

  “Unfortunately it’s an unfeeling world we live in. The ITO is a corrupt system. So many people migrate to the stations only to get mixed up with the wrong crowd. Desperate people will do anything to survive. It can be a recipe for disaster. As the ITO knows with the station census, when one person departs, another spot opens up for the next person, and thus they can collect the next migration fee. It’s an unrelenting cycle.”

  “I can’t believe it. That’s so unjust.”

  “Unfortunately that’s life,” he added softly.

  Ava didn’t say much the rest of the way home. She had such a nice time tonight, now the conversation about Helena had upset her. She felt tired and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. Helena was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. She knew she would have to let it go and learn to move on without closure.

  Chapter 6: The Computer

  Over the next few weeks Ava’s life on Orionis began to improve. She started to become used to her new routine and began to explore more of her surroundings. Work flowed well and by shopping at Infinity Ava started to put back on some of the weight that she had lost. As Naomi had said, Ava’s body became more physically acclimated to environment and she began to feel stronger. She saw her new friends only occasionally as they were out on various missions during the week, however they usually docked at Orionis at least once or twice a month. They had given Ava their messaging accounts that they could access from their PCDs and also their ship when it was in range so that they would be able to keep in touch with one another. Ava joined one of the workout facilities on Level 4 to kill time after work when she was most lonely. The memberships were free and it made it possible for Ava to be around people.

  Ava had been dreading Wednesday this week for a long time. It was the anniversary of Nathan’s death and she started having difficulty handling it emotionally. She had tried many things to cope with the loneliness. She checked out a few affordable clubs that piqued her interest to see if she could belong. The writer’s club mostly consisted of people who wrote dark depressing poetry. The karate club frowned on Ava for not having enough stamina. Ava found the online gaming community even more isolated and lonely. After that Ava decided to give her search a rest and just stick with her workout class for the time being. On Wednesday Ava went to work, which fortunately, was always busy. The clinic always seemed to be a reliable relief to escape the isolation. Afterwards she went home. As she changed out of her work attire Ava glanced at her wedding photo on her dresser, the only one that she had brought with her. It had now been one year since she traveled to be with Nathan during a sudden illness, only to be too late. As she looked at the two happy smiling people in the photo the sadness took over. She had to get out, she didn’t want to be alone tonight.

  Ava grabbed her wrist wallet and practically ran out the door. As she walked she debated where to go. Ava and Naomi were becoming good friends although Ava had never told her or any of the crew about Nathan. She wished she could talk to someone now, preferably Naomi, about it. Naomi was married, she would understand. It was a long shot, but perhaps The Andromeda was docked. Ava decided to find out. New residents were not allowed to travel until they had lived on Orionis for at least six months. In fact, they weren’t even permitted anywhere near the hangars that housed the incoming and outgoing ships. However, anyone could observe the ships and check the docking records from the public observation deck. Ava gazed around the hangar and then finally to the large monitors with the green letters and symbols. No Andromeda. Ava meandered slowly back to The Square. She stopped by a kiosk and bought a small bag of popcorn, a popular snack on Orionis. She wandered to a small bench nearby and sat down. Ava leaned over with her elbows on her knees and stared at the ground, mindlessly popping one kernel at a time into her mouth, chewing slowly each time. She observed the blur of footwear passing by anonymously until she noticed one pair of black boots approaching her slowly. As the boots came nearer Ava looked up and saw him.

  “Wesley?”

  “Hello Ava. How are you this evening?”

  “I’m okay, thank you.” She was surprised to see him. “I didn’t know you were on Orionis today.”

  “May I?” He gestured to the bench. Ava scooted over and he sat down next to her. “Yes, I stayed behind this week to negotiate some new contracts with Orionis. We’ve been working steadily for them for some time now. I maintain an apartment up on Level 3 for instances such as this.”

  “You mean your crew is out there with your ship doing a mission without you? Aren’t you worried that something might happen to them?” Ava tilted the bag of popcorn towards Wesley, who retrieved a small handful of kernels. He must really have faith in them, she thought.

  He laughed softly and sincerely. “I’d trust Andre with my life. He knows that ship as well as I do. There’s nothing to worry about. They will all be back Friday night as scheduled. You should go out with us this weekend.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Ava, that’s not your dinner, is it?”

  “Oh, no I was a little restless tonight. I just wanted to be out and about.” Ava smiled and tried to look cheerful, despite feeling the opposite and having no appetite.

  “Well, I was just on my way to grab something when I saw you. Why don’t you join me?”

  “I don’t know. I’m afraid I probably wouldn’t be very good company tonight.” She continued to look at the ground.

  “You seem so sad Ava. Come and have dinner with me and we’ll talk.” With that he gently slid an arm around her shoulders and guided her feet and down the nearest avenue. They arrived at a dimly lit casual restaurant and Wesley asked for a booth in the back. The place was not crowded so they had plenty of privacy. Ava didn’t know what to think. She thought she would find being alone with him awkward, however it felt strangely comforting. He continued to make small talk with her until after they ordered their food and then he started asking questions.

  “So, what has happened to make you so melancholy?”

  “It’s kind of personal. You probably don’t want to spend your evening listening to me lament about my life.”

  “Well, I’m willing to listen if you want to tell me. I spend most of my time on a ship with three couples in love. Believe me, I hear my fair share of drama. I can’t guarantee I can fix what’s wrong, but it might be good for you to get it off of your chest. And since this is your first consultation with ‘the Captain,’ I’ll waive the office visit fee.” He kept a straight face during his small speech.

  Ava smiled a real smile for the first time that day. “I don’t know how you and your crew do it, but I always feel better when I’m around you.”

  “That’s a good thing because we enjoy spending time with you as well.” He paused. “I wish we had more time together.” He said the words softly while looking directly into her eyes. Ava looked away. She couldn’t believe what he had just said. She wasn’t ready for that sort of thing yet. She decided to tell him about her life, he might as well know about all of the emotional baggage she carried around. Ava began her story as the food arrived. He ate with a healthy appetite and listened while she picked at her plate as she talked. She had tears in her eyes by the time she spoke about how she could not even say good bye to Nathan.

  “I’m glad you told me Ava. I can see why you have been so sad. It sounds like you have had such a hard life. It took a great deal of guts on your
part to move here and start over. I sense that you feel very guilty about not arriving in time to see him one last time. I promise you Ava; wherever Nathan’s spirit is now he knows you wanted to say good bye and he understands why you could not be there, it wasn’t your fault. He would want you to forgive yourself.”

  “Yes I suppose so.” She looked down at the plate she had barely touched and realized Wesley was right. It did feel better to talk to someone. “Thank you for listening to me tonight. I do feel a little better.”

  “Anytime.”

  Ava studied Wesley as he took care of their bill and asked for a take home container for Ava. She was subconsciously comparing him to her late husband. He had a very different personality than Nathan and physically they were opposites. Nathan was older than Ava by only one year and stood 5’10” tall. Nathan never took an interest in working out and had an average thin build. He had hazel eyes, short light brown hair, and deep dimples. Ava loved his easygoing, warm, carefree, and comforting personality. Nathan always viewed the cup half full and joked about life and its hurdles. This was the trait that Ava missed most about him, the ability to be happy, even when life went wrong. The man sitting with her now could not be more different. At 6’2” with a strong athletic build he practically towered over her. His dark features were striking and handsome. He seemed to have a sense of humor about life, however was quiet, gentle and serious most of the time. He had the ability to be a natural leader and seemed to be intelligent with a strong will to be a ship’s commander. She could not help liking his calm, stable personality and good looks. Ava enjoyed her budding friendship with him, however his comment about wishing to spend more time with her worried her a little bit. She was not ready for a new relationship at the moment; however she did not wish to distance herself from him. She felt that she had made the right decision telling him about her late husband. Perhaps he would understand that she was uncertain when she would be ready for more. She decided to cross that bridge when she came to it.

  Over the next few weeks Ava, Wesley, and the crew spent time together on the weekends. Naomi loved to shop and Ava enjoyed going with her, even if she could not afford to buy much. They had a lengthy mission next week and they did not inform Ava of where they would be going for confidentiality reasons. Wesley was not sure how long they would be gone from Orionis but promised Ava that they would contact her as soon as they landed back in the hangar. Ava missed them after they left but kept herself busy with work. In the evenings she enjoyed working out, looking around on the internet and watching the monitor. Having any type of noise in the apartment seemed to fill some kind of void, making her feel safe and not alone.

  One day after work Ava came home and prepared dinner. Afterwards she switched on the main computer that powered the personal monitor and the large flat screen television on her wall. The computer fired up however the screen was black and nothing happened. Ava waited a few minutes, switched it off and checked the cords and tried again, still nothing. For the third time she thoroughly checked all of the ports and then the wires running in and out of the main computer and also the outlet itself. Ava could not figure out why the system was down. She checked her own portable PCD the clinic had supplied her with and found the system working normally wirelessly. She decided to power off the main computer and wait until tomorrow. The next evening the same thing happened. She had learned from her coworkers that day that they had not experienced any trouble with their computers the night before. Ava knew a computer technician at the clinic whom she could ask about the problem tomorrow. She missed Wesley and the crew, no doubt they would be able to diagnose the problem in about two seconds and have it fixed in no time.

  At the clinic Ava found the computer tech, Nick, at the end of the day. He was a friendly young man with short brown hair and light brown eyes. He possessed a small, thin frame and looked to be about twenty years old. She explained to him what was happening with her computer over the past few nights.

  “It sounds like your hard drive might be malfunctioning. If you want I can come over and check it out for you.”

  “That would be great Nick, thank you.” They chatted about the clinic and how their day went as they walked to Ava’s quarters. When they arrived Nick examined Ava’s computer while she explained how she checked all of the ports and cords. After a few minutes he found the root of the problem.

  “Yep, it’s your hard drive. They are only good for about four to five years. Looks like it’s time was up. You’ll have to get a new one for it to work again.”

  “How much do you think something like that would cost?”

  “A new hard drive will run you about 2200 credits, but I know a guy and I could find you a used one for around 1100.”

  “1100 credits. Wow.” Ava didn’t have that much saved yet. He must have certainly seen the surprised expression on her face.

  “I know. Nothing’s cheap on Orionis.”

  “I suppose it will have to be done. Can I let you know when I’m ready to buy one?”

  “Of course. Just let me know anytime.”

  “Thank you for your time, I appreciate it,” Ava said with a smile. She handed him a few plastic credits that were used for tipping and such matters. His face brightened as if he weren’t expecting it. He smiled and thanked Ava as he left.

  Ava sat down on her couch, leaned her head back and closed her eyes. That’s so much money she thought as she sighed. If she scaled back on groceries, didn’t purchase anything unnecessary, and did not join any clubs, she might have enough saved in about six weeks. That seemed like such a long time to be without the internet and television, her only steady companions outside of work, but she had no choice. She stood up and went to the kitchen and began to prepare a simple dinner in the small silent apartment. Fortunately Ava could use the internet at work afterhours and during lunch to do her necessary tasks such as bill paying, check for messages, or to find information. Ava felt happy at work to be around patients and her coworkers. Although her patients were friendly and pleasant for the most part, Ava did not feel it was appropriate to try to be friends with any of them. It seemed like a line she did not want to cross. Her coworkers were another story. Sometimes they would get together for small social events outside of work, which Ava enthusiastically attended, however always felt distanced from them. She wondered if she would ever find her place on Orionis, or if she would always be someone on the outside looking in.

  During the next few weeks she tried to spend time after work wandering around the Square or on some of the lower levels to keep herself occupied. She lost count of how many times she had tried to be friendly and start up a conversation other people who seemed to loiter near her or be interested in the things she were looking at in a store. Sometimes the strangers would be polite and spend a few minutes talking with her but that would be it. Others would simply say a few words and walk away. The population on Orionis was definitely not known for their outgoing friendliness. The end of the day was always the same; coming home to an empty apartment. By the third week Ava could hardly stand it. She missed her friends from The Andromeda. It had been a month and no contact from them. She wondered where they went and if they were ever coming back. She decided she would look over her possessions to see if there was something that she could sell to obtain the credits to fix her computer. She didn’t own much and decided after a quick sweep that the only things she owned worth pawning were the items she needed for daily living and the backpack Wesley had given her and she needed that. Ava sat down on her couch and ran her fingers through her hair and over her ear. Her earrings! Ava sat and thought about the only pieces of jewelry she owned, passed down to her from her grandmother. It saddened her to think of selling them although they must be worth at least 400 credits. She decided she was not ready to part with them; she would have to try harder to be strong and try to wait out the rest of the saving period.

  The following day at work Ava was doing a routine procedure at the end of the day and a small amount of skin anti
septic splashed on her lab coat and soaked through onto her clothing. No matter how much she scrubbed at her blouse that evening the large stain would not come out. She would have to buy a new one. This would set her back in her savings for the new hard drive. Ava’s heart sank. She felt beyond tired of living in a silent apartment. She changed her mind about the earrings. If she sold them and purchased the hard drive, perhaps she could continue to save money and buy them back if they were not purchased by someone else. It would not take too long to save about 400 credits she thought.

  After work on Thursday Ava made her way down to Level 6 where many small businesses were located. Ava remembered where the pawn shop, Trinkets, was. There were many pawn shops on Orionis however this one seemed to deal mostly in jewelry and other small personal items for women. Ava had removed her earrings the evening before and cleaned them before putting them in a small box. She sadly walked up to the counter of the empty store and the clerk quickly arrived.

  “Good evening. Do you need help buying or selling?” Asked an older woman with graying hair coiled into a neat tight bun near the top of her head.

  “Selling.” Ava set the box on the counter.

  “These are very nice,” remarked the saleswoman as she pulled a jeweler’s loupe out of her coat pocket and examined the earrings. “These are genuine, very lovely.”

  “How much would they be worth?”

  “I can give you 650 credits for them. Would you like to sell?”

  “Yes, thank you.” Ava’s voice had no emotion even though she was surprised that they were worth more than she thought.

  Ava felt terrible about selling her grandmother’s earrings however she could not stand the desolation of a quiet apartment every night and weekend. She resolved that could re-purchase them soon if she cut back on groceries. After the transaction she walked home slowly with tears welling up in her eyes.